Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cast out doubts over the football season after reports emerged that England will enter into a national lockdown.
The 2019/20 football season was halted for closer to three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, a similar situation might follow after it emerged England will enter into a national lockdown.
Boris Johnson met with his cabinet members for crunch talks and the group came to the conclusion that tighter restrictions were needed to ease the pressure in hospitals. The Prime Minister met with Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove, and Health Minister Matt Hancock.
It comes after Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, told ministers on Thursday morning that COVID-19 is “out of control” in the country.
A press conference is expected to be held by Johnson on Monday where he could confirm a full-scale lockdown across the country.
As part of the national lockdown, it is expected that everything bar essential shops, nurseries, universities, and schools will shut.
The football calendar was halted for three months between March and June last season, with the 2019/20 season eventually restarted and finished behind closed doors.
With the 2020/21 fixture schedule already tight as the leagues look to play catch-up ahead of the Euros next year, a further delay would have a serious impact.
Whilst it remains to be seen if a national lockdown would impact professional football, with clubs able to train and play within their social bubbles, as proven last season, this latest update will no doubt be a cause for concern across every division.
The Premier League clubs are already facing severe hardship due to the lack of matchday revenue caused by playing behind closed doors, with chairman Rick Parry this week suggesting clubs could go out of business by Christmas without serious financial aid from the government or the Premier League.